The Kyiv Independent

2023-04-20 19:27:51 Kuleba says he's 'frustrated' over delay in EU ammunition procurement plan.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on April 20 that he's "frustrated" about the European Union stalling its program on the joint purchase of ammunition for Ukraine.

"This is a test of whether the EU has strategic autonomy in making new crucial security decisions. For Ukraine, the cost of inaction is measured in human lives," Kuleba said on Twitter. Open / Comment

2023-04-20 18:52:22 Northern Command: Russia hits Chernihiv Oblast, killing civilian.

Russian troops struck the village of Halahanivka in Chernihiv Oblast with mortars, killing a local woman, Ukraine’s Northern Operational Command said on April 20.

Two more civilians were injured in the Russian attack on the northern region, according to the report. Open / Comment

2023-04-20 18:21:21 Stoltenberg: NATO membership for Ukraine to be 'high on the agenda' at Vilnius summit.

NATO member states are preparing to discuss Ukraine's membership and security guarantees at the next alliance's summit in the Lithuanian capital, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

The topic will be "high on the agenda" at the Vilnius meeting scheduled for mid-July, Stoltenberg said at a joint press conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.

"Ukraine's future is in NATO. All allies agree on that," Stoltenberg told reporters, adding that the main alliance's focus now is "to ensure that Ukraine prevails" and "continues to exist as a sovereign democratic state in Europe."

Photo: NATO press service Open / Comment

2023-04-20 17:57:32 How Ukrainian teenagers committed sexual assault, posted it online and received no prison sentence

On a summer day in 2021, three teenage boys sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl, filmed it on camera, and posted the video online.

Their prison sentence? None.

The scandal highlighted a striking flaw in the Ukrainian justice system: tolerance of sexual violence.

Photo: Courtesy Open / Comment

2023-04-20 17:05:33 FT: US intelligence report suggests China refused Wagner mercenary group's request for arms.

A leaked U.S. intelligence report shows that China refused the Russian Wagner mercenary group's request for weapons, the Financial Times reported on April 20.

According to FT, Wagner's direct request to China suggested "it had some confidence Beijing would be open to arming Moscow, going beyond other non-lethal forms of support for the military campaign provided by Chinese companies." Open / Comment

2023-04-20 16:29:04 Governor: Mykolaiv population returns close to pre-invasion level.

Nearly all of Mykolaiv Oblast's residents who left after Russia launched its full-scale invasion have returned home, Governor Vitaliy Kim said in an interview on April 20.

According to Kim, the pre-invasion population of the city of Mykolaiv was around 460,000 people. After dropping to 200,000, it gradually started to rise once the nearby city of Kherson was liberated by Ukrainian forces in November 2022. Open / Comment

2023-04-20 16:12:58 As war forces more Ukrainians to relocate, East Europe Foundation works to relieve their struggle

Millions of Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes when Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year. The East Europe Foundation, a Ukrainian non-profit organization, was founded to support internally displaced Ukrainians by funding humanitarian and psychological assistance and equipping shelters.

Courtesy of East Europe Foundation Open / Comment

2023-04-20 15:55:12 Russia shells village in Kherson Oblast, killing 1.

Russian shelled the village of Kizomys, killing a 59-year-old man, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on April 20.

According to the regional prosecutor's office, the number of those injured is still being verified.

Russian forces have been heavily shelling the liberated parts of Kherson Oblast since withdrawing from the west bank of the Dnipro River in the area in November 2022.

Photo: Kherson Oblast Prosecutor's Office Open / Comment

2023-04-20 11:17:36 Denmark, Netherlands pledge 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine by 'early' 2024.

Denmark and the Netherlands will jointly purchase and donate 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine by "early" 2024, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation reported on April 20. Open / Comment

2023-04-20 10:39:03 Politico: French, Polish officials allegedly at odds over details of ammunition procurement for Ukraine.

French and Polish officials are allegedly at odds over whether local EU firms or competitors should receive the EU's joint contracts to supply Ukraine with ammunition, Politico reported on April 19. Open / Comment